Steven Kagen: we started talking about the making work pay tax credit, the pick up another one and carry it for ahile. mr. kagen: aside by making work pay that focuses on middle-class families, let me remind ople,

Steven Kagen: we don't call it the recovery act but the stimulus bill. that's the slang of where we are in northeast wisconsin. we look at the stimulus bill, it didn't meet everybody's expectations in temperatures of all the jobs, because we were in such a deep economic hole. but we focused on those people who needed help the most.

Steven Kagen: in particular, unemployed. in northeast wisconsin, there are 35,000ho are underemployed and unemployed. looking for work, hard-working people. we can compete and outwork anybody anywhere in the world. for unemployed workers, immediately,he recovery act gave $25 a week in additional

Steven Kagen: spending power. we covered 65% of cobra, which is when you fall out of work, you need insuranc but you get cobra insurance and the federal government stepped up and guaranteed that insurance. mr. garamendi: excuse me, everybody that i talked to about

Steven Kagen: cobra says, nobody can afford it, theare unemployed and you are telling us in the stimulus bill, in the recovery act that 55% of the cost of cobra, you lose your job and want to continue your health insurance, that is covered? mr. kagen: 65% covered by the federal government. we went beyond that, because we made sure there was money there

Steven Kagen: for stablization of state governments. we helped the states to stablize their state governments, helped the unemployed and made sure they had money they earned in their own pockets. you earned the money and keep it in your pocket and be a better investor.

Steven Kagen: well, we have done that. we did it for students in the american tuent credit act, where we -- opportunity credit act. gave money back to the parent or to the student for their educational expenses. mr. garamendi: that's a very important one. all of the economists that looked to the future of this

Steven Kagen: nation and our ability to come says we have to have a well educated workforce, so in the stimulus bill there is a 2,500 tax credit for the family or student. mr. kagen: that wasn't in the stimulus bill but in the american opportunity act. in the student bill, tax credits

Steven Kagen: for 25,000 students in my district. 25,000 students benefited from having that tax credit immediately available. we increased the pell grant funds. stafford loans were available. we made it possible for students who wanted to move up to have